Against All Odds
by serendipity-smiles
Summary: The epidemic is over and everyone is still shellshocked in it's aftermath. Jax is now faced with raising a child and dealing with grief at the same time. An old friend becomes his salvation against all odds.


This is my story and not ABC's and all that… I am not really able to watch the show but have been keeping up with it by spoilers, clips, etc… I haven't written a story in a long time, let me know what you think Serendipity

PROLOGUE

He was so tiny… this little piece of life. You couldn't see where the tubes ended and he began. Monitors were hooked up to every part of his small and fragile body. Tubes were coming from his nose, from his feet… The nurses even had an IV coming from his head and that was probably the scariest thing to see.

Jax stood there barely breathing as he watched his son fight for his life. He had never felt so completely helpless. Standing on the other side of a window and not being able to do a damn thing but watch.

An eerie quiet had taken over General Hospital for the moment. The halls were dim and empty except for a few nurses wearily making their rounds. Most of the parents keeping vigil at the nursery had gone to try and get some sleep in the lobby, but, he couldn't seem to drag himself away. His son was lying there in an incubator in the SICU and nothing short of a natural disaster would pull him away from the window.

He wanted to shout… to cry… to hold his child in his arms, but he couldn't do any of those things. Courtney was gone and this child was all that was left of her except for the ache that was keeping up residence in his heart.

"Jax? Here… take this…"

He hadn't even heard her approach him, hadn't noticed the smell of coffee wafting up from the cup in her hands that she was holding out to him. Not taking his eyes away from the scene in front of him he shook his head silently.

"You need to keep your strength up… if you won't eat or sleep at least drink this." Carly's heart hurt for the silent man beside her. She understood how he was feeling because she had spent more time than she cared to remember staring through these same windows. Her own son lie in the regular nursery not yards away from the Intensive Care Unit at the moment and she had just left him to check on little John. She had just lost the only girl friend that she had… the only person besides Jason who knew who she really was inside. Swallowing a lump of emotion she nudged Jax with her shoulder.

"He's beautiful isn't he… I can see her in him I think… Do you think she is here with us right now… watching over him?" Jax took the cup of coffee and forced himself to take a big swallow.

"You know… I think maybe she is… I have to believe that she always will be… kind of like his own personal guardian angel." Carly sighed and reached out to touch the cool glass window.

"Dr. Lee says that the antidote is working… he is just so small… How am I going to explain this to him… explain that his mother died so that he could live? How do you explain that to a child?" Tears stung his eyes and his chest felt as if it was going to burst from the pain welling up inside it.

"Somehow we'll find away… I want you to know… You aren't alone… if you need anything…" Carly broke off as tears started trickling down her cheeks.

"What I need is to hold my son! I can't… I can't … even hold…" The coffee fell to the floor forgotten as emotions broke free. Neither of them was aware of the hot liquid splashing their feet and legs as it hit the ground.

Carly stared at the sobbing man before her. She had seen many sides of Jasper Jax, but nothing like this. Reaching out she silently wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly against her. She didn't say anything, but held him and tried to absorb some of the grief and pain that he was feeling.

After a minute of great heaving sobs Jax pulled away and briskly wiped the tears away with his hand. He couldn't bring himself to look at her or even to thank her for her silent support… but he kind of got the feeling that she knew…

Reaching out he took her hand and they stood praying and watching the child of someone they had deeply loved trying to fight for his place in the world.


End file.
